Emma Swann

1 month ago | diymag.com | Emma Swann

4 Stars A welcome reminder of the power of thrashing guitars and guttural vocal roars to provide catharsis. Released: 11th April 2025 Label: Lucky Number The Los Angeles-based band’s first new material since 2012 second album ‘Married’, the five-track ‘Crave’ is as much a welcome reminder of the power of thrashing guitars and guttural vocal roars to provide catharsis, as it is a (re)introduction to Kills Birds.

Sep 17, 2024 | diymag.com | Emma Swann

5 StarsThe kind of record that incites every emotion, all at once, in the most rewarding way. Released: 20th September 2024Label: Self-releasedIf asked to succinctly describe FIDLAR’s output to date, one might suggest ‘melodic punk fury with acutely self-aware lyricism’. The five-plus years since 2019’s ‘Almost Free’ may be a musical lifetime away, but the outfit’s decision to wait until mosh pits opened up to road-test new material proves a fruitful one.

Feb 13, 2024 | diymag.com | Emma Swann

5 StarsSonically rich, musically accomplished. Released: 16th February 2024Label: PolydorAnyone after evidence of Crawlers’ growth, from buzzy Merseyside newcomers pre-pandemic to genuine rock contenders as we hit 2024 can find it in ‘Come Over (Again)’. The version featured here on debut ‘The Mess We Seem To Make’ sits in direct constrast, sonically, to its 2019 outing on the quartet’s self-titled EP.

Jan 18, 2024 | diymag.com | Emma Swann

5 StarsA soundtrack while the world’s going to shit - catharsis has never sounded this good. Released: 19th January 2024Label: RepriseThat so much was made of Billie Joe Armstrong switching his lyrics on a New Year’s television performance to entertain millions of American households with “I’m not part of the MAGA agenda” is, of course, puzzling to anyone who’s paid more than a cursory glance to Green Day over their thirty-plus years as a band.

Oct 10, 2023 | diymag.com | Emma Swann

3-5 StarsThere’s a little lost in the production as it amps up, but when the raw material’s this good that’s a mere minor quibble. Released: 13th October 2023Label: SonyBreakthrough ‘complex’ may have spread like the proverbial wildfire thanks to a certain video app, but its virality was based very specifically on the song’s - and by extension, Katie Gregson-MacLeod’s - ability to forge a human connection.